Police Rescue Elderly Man From Morris County Apartment Fire, Cops Say

An elderly man was rescued from an apartment fire in Mt. Olive Thursday night before firefighters could quell a blaze, Mt. Olive Police said.

At 8:23 p.m. on Feb. 5, Mt. Olive Police received a call of a heavy smoke condition in an apartment at the Oakwood Village Complex on Rt. 206 in Mt. Olive, Officer Michael Russell said.

Upon arrival, Officers John Bevacqua and David Herring entered the apartment showing the smoke and located an 86-year-old disabled man, Russell said. More police units arrived on scene and assisted with removing the man from the apartment, Russell said.

The elderly man was then treated by Flanders First Aid and subsequently airlifted to St. Barnabas Hospital for injuries sustained in the fire, Russell said.

The fire was then knocked down by the Flanders Fire Department. The Mt. Olive Police, Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, and Fire Marshall’s Office are conducting an investigation on the cause of the blaze.

Both Bevacqua and Herring were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and were released soon thereafter.

As a result of the fire the apartment was deemed uninhabitable, and multiple neighboring apartments were evacuated because of the fire damage, Russell said. Three families were displaced by the fire and were able to find shelter with family or friends.

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